Marginalized Knowledge: An Agenda for Indigenous Knowledge Development and Integration with Other Forms of Knowledge

8. The Extension of the Garden Project to the KwaNdaya Production Centre
In 2002, funds were made available by the Independent Development Trust (IDT) for the project to be extended from the KwaNdaya Community Garden to the KwaNdaya Production Centre, under the Community Production Centre (CPC) programme. The overarching goal of the project was to develop production activities and infrastructure that would be controlled by the Ndaya community and linked to the market. The project was going to consist of fencing an additional eight-hectare piece of land which would increase the current horticultural garden from 10 hectares to 18 hectares and building a production activity centre which would include a vegetable pack house including shade equipment, a chemical and input storehouse and an administration block combined with a play centre. Moreover, a community nursery and auxiliary developments which would include a farm road, human access points, small garden bridges, a two-door gate, 3 small gates, and a 10 hectare banana plantation were also planned to be implemented..
The project was open to all those community members who were willing and committed to work on it. All community members were welcomed without any discrimination. It happened that for this phase all those who were willing to work were women; therefore women now run the project. They have formed a co-operative, which means that they work together in order to reach a common goal. KwaNdaya co-operative members have joined the project on a voluntary basis and no member has been forced to join. They work for the sustainable development of their project without excluding anyone who wants to benefit from it.
The success of the KwaNdaya project can be seen in the fact that women are still managing and working on this project successfully. They generate income from it; they have created job opportunities since they work on a daily basis; they alleviate poverty and are now able to feed their families; their standard of living has improved; and they no longer experience problems associated with malnutrition. More specifically, they produce various types of vegetables for selling and for household usage; they market their produce to local community members and to neighbourhood business people who own supermarkets or big markets, such as Clairwood Market (vegetable suppliers) in Durban; and they also fill large orders for various service providers who in association with the Department of Education feed learners in schools in the Umbumbulu area. The Department of Health also buys vegetables from them for supplying to various hospices. In 1993 they managed to make a profit of R75000,00 and they bought a good second-hand tractor as an investment for the project; they are able to generate income by hiring out the tractor to other people. They are, nevertheless, facing some challenges in regard to sustaining their project. One of their main concerns is the high death rate among the youth due to HIV/AIDS. Also, women presently involved in this project are becoming older and this in itself is a major challenge. (UZ Researcher 2005:2)